Fastening for saddle-girths.



. Patented "luhe l0, I902. v c. BUSH. v FASTENING FOR SADDLE GIRTH S.

(Application filed Api. 16, 1901.)

2 Sheats-Sheet l.

(N0 llodai.)

E noams PETERS 6o, Pnoroumq. WASHINOYON u c No.'70|,'836. PatentedJuneHL-IQOZ.

C. I. 'BUSH.

FASTENING FOR SADDLE GIRTHS.

(Application filed Apr. 15, 1901.)

("'0 Model.)

2 Sheets$heet '2.

Wz'fneases UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CORYDON I. BUSH, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO FRANKH. OROOKER, OF KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI.

FASTENING FOR SADDLE-GIRTHS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 701,836, dated June10, 1902. Application filed April 15,1901. Serial No. 55,927. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, OoRYDoN LBUsH, a citizen of the United States ofAmerica, residing at Kansas City, in the county of Jackson and State ofMissouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements inFastenings for Saddle-Girths; and I do hereby declare that the followingis a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as willenable.

others to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part of this specification.

The object of my invention is a device for fastening the ends of asaddle-girth and billet or other parts of a harness togetherexpeditiously; and it consists in the. novel construction andcombination of parts, such as will be first fully described, andspecifically pointed out in the claims.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a view of the invention shown connectedwith the free end of the saddle-girth and billet, the saddle being shownin position upon the back of a riding-horse. Fig. 2 isa viewinperspective, showing the free end of the saddle-girth and a portion ofthe billet secured to the body of the saddle, showing the inventionapplied thereto. Fig. 3 is a view in perspective, showing the free endof the girth or band and the billet; also showing the novel fasteningdevices in a position in which the parts are connected with the hands inreadiness to apply the power to operate the lever and simultaneouslypress upon the keeper. Fig. tie a detail vertical sectional view takenthrough the lower end of the keeper and the upper pivoted end of thelever and supporting-plate, showing the shoulder on the lever and thebearing therefor on the projection from the supporting-plate. Fig. 5is adetailview of the lower or free end of the lever. Fig. 6 is a detailView of the socketplate for retaining the free end of the lever. Fig. 7is a view of the opposite side of the saddle to that seen in Fig. 1,showing the adj ustably-secured end of the girth Similar letters ofreference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures of the drawlngs.

Referring to the drawings, A represents an ordinary riding-saddle, ofwhich a represents the saddle body or tree, a the pommel, and a thecantle of the saddle.

a is the saddle-girth billet on the saddle for a single girth, which isformed in a loop andthe two ends secured to the outer side of thesaddle-body, to which the free end of the girth is ordinarily secured bythe ring a the ends so secured being slightly forward of a positionintermediate the pommel and cantle of the saddle. Upon the other side ofthe saddle,secured to the saddle-body,is alink a.

B represents the girth or band,with one end I) of which is connected aring 1'). Through ring I) extends one end 0 of an adjustingstrap 0,which end also passes through the link a on the saddle-body. Upon theother end of strap 0 is a buckle-c through which buckle passes the end 0of said strap.

D represents the keeper for securing the billet and girth, whichconsists of a flat plate of suitable length, in the upper end of whichis a transverse slot (1, through which is passed the looped portion'ofthe billet a A short distance below the slot d in' plate D is atransverse opening (1, the upper and lower sides of which opening are inoppositelycu rved lines. In one longitudinal edge of the plate D is anarrow opening (1 which communicates with the opening d, the sides ofwhich opening are curved inwardly in a slight degree from the said edgeof the plate, as at d (i In the plate D, a short distance below theopening 01, is a separateopening d of the same dimensions as the openingd and having the opening d communicating therewith andextending in thesame longitudinal edge of plate D as the opening d the sides of whichopening (1 are also curved inwardly, as described of the opening (1 Thelower end of plate D is preferably in a single outwardly-curved line, asseen at d 7 Upon the outer side and free end I) of the girth or band Bis secured by the-rivets e e the lever-supporting flat plate E,-Which,as shown, is nearly circular inform and upon the outer end of whichplate is an extension 6 narrow in width and approximate to the extremityof the free end of girth B. Said extension is bent upwardly and thenceextended forwardly in a curved line and upon which extension are theoutwardly and downwardly extended lugs e 6 upon the under surface ofwhich lugs are the recesses 6. Between the lugs e e is a notch e Uponthe under surface of the curved portion of the extension 6 in rear ofthe notch e the said surface is curved outwardly, forming the projection6 as seen in Fig. 4.

F represents the locking-lever, which consists of a bar of considerablelength and extending from one end to the other in an outwardly-curvedline. One end of said lever extends between the lugs e e in the notch ebetween the said lugs and is secured to said lugs by the pivot 6 whichextends through said lugs and the said end of the lever. On the innerside of the pivoted end of lever F is a shoulder f, which consists of ashort portion of said lever, bent nearly at right angles and extendingbeneath the projection 6, of the extension 6 of the plate E. The uppersurface of said shoulder is curved inwardly in a slight degree, as at f,to meet and obtain a close bearing upon the projection e of plate E whenthe lever F is in a locked position. The lower surface of the shoulder fextends at an oblique angle to the inner side of the lever F and iscurved inwardly near the said lever, as atf At the other end of plate Efrom that having the extension e is an extension 6 which is bentupwardly and over upon itself, forming a loop, in which loop is a ringG. WVith the ring G is connected the novel securing device for the freeend of lever F, which consists of a short strap h, looped over the ringG and the two ends placed upon the girth B and the rivets h It passedthrough said girth and the said ends of the strap h. In the strap h andpassing through each portion is a longitudinal opening 7L2, narrow inwidth. In the opening 7& is inserted a yielding or spring socket-plateI, which consists of a single plate the width of which is nearly equalto the length of the opening Win the strap h. The intermediate portionof the plate which forms the bottom of the socket is about equal to thewidth of the opening 7L and extends to the bottom of said socket 7L theyielding sides it of which socket-plate extend to the outer surface ofthe strap h and the ends 2' 11 of which plate are bent outwardly atright angles to the sides i 2' and upon the outer sur face of strap 7L,thus forming a socket-plate the entrance 71 to which is made narrow byinclining the upper portions of the sides it of the socket-plate I in aslight degree toward each. In the bottom of the socket-plate I is anarrow strap of metal '6 the ends of which extend past the bottom of thesocketplate and upon the under surface of the portion of strap 7badjacent to the girth B, thus preventing the socket-plate I from beingremoved from the opening 7L2.

Upon the under side of the free end of the lever F is a lug f whichextends nearly the length of the opening 7L2 in the strap h, the sidesor ribs f 4 of which lugare inclined downwardly and inwardly and extendwithin the entrance 2' of the socket-plate I and nearly to the bottom ofsaid socket or so far as to permit the ribs f to press apart the sidesof the socket-plate and extend beneath the line of the bent portions 1'of said socketplate.

In. operation and when the saddle A has been placed upon the back of thehorse the girth B at the end I) is secured by the adjusting-strap C insuch a position that the girth will pass upon the under side of the bodyof the animal and its free end provided with the lever-supporting plateE, extended upwardly upon the side of the animal in the direction of theplate D on the billet a and to a position in which the opening d in thelower end of plate D will be above the pivoted end of the lever F. Inthis position the plate D is seized by the left hand, as shown in Fig.3, and held a short distance outwardly from the side of the animal, theright hand seizing the free end of lever F and extending said end as farupwardly as is necessary, thus supporting the free end of the girth. Thelever F is then moved laterally within the opening (1 in plate D to aposition upon the under side of said opening, in which position adownward pressure is given the free end of lever F by the right handobtaining a powerful leverage and forcing the lugf into the socket-platef, and at the same time the left hand pushes the plate D beneath thelugs e 6 into the dotted position shown, and the engaging portion d ofthe plate D is in a position near the outer end of shoulderf, while therecess f in the upper surface of the shoulder is close in position tothe extensions e of the plate E, and the lever is secured fromaccidental removal, and the strain upon the girth draws the free end ofthe lever F closer to the girth, the engagement of the upper surface ofthe shoulder with the extension e releasing the strain on the pivot eWhen the girth is required to be released from the billet, the free endof the lever is drawn from the socket-plate and the parts are instantlydetached. Should the tightening of the girth be iusulficient by theemployment of the lower opening in the keeper D, the lever is insertedin the opening above.

My invention enables the expeditious fastening ot' the saddle-girth, andis therefore of great value to the military service, where economy oftime is of great consideration.

The lever F may be operated by left-handed persons by merely reversingthe position of the keeper.

Such modifications may be employed as are within the scope of theinvention.

Having fully described my invention, what I now claim as new, and desireto secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A fastening comprisingabase-plate, and an extension of saidbase-plate at one end thereof, and outwardly and downwardly extendedlugs upon said extension having recesses in their under surfaces, and anotch extended lever, a lug upon the free end of said lever, and ribs onsaid lug, a strap having a socket, a reinforcing-plate in said sockethaving spring sides bent upon the upper surface of said strap, and abottom to said plate extending beyond the plane of the lower surface ofthe strap, and a securing-strip upon the bottom of said plate engagingwith the lower surface of said strap.

OORYDON I. BUSH. Witnesses:

JOHN T. MARSHALL, THOMAS 'A. ALEXANDER.

